8. Exhibit Management Flashcards
What is an exhibit?
any item which comes into the possession of Police during the course of an investigation, whether or not it is eventually tendered in formal evidence.
What kind of experience should an O/C Exhibits have?
- Mass exhibit handling
- Forensic principles
- Methods of exhibit recovery
- Approved procedures for packaging and security of evidence
- Managing contamination and cross-contamination issues
- Use of standardised documentation as contained in the SCT
What is the purpose of the O/C Exhibits?
- establishing and maintaining exhibit management systems
- maintaining the physical security and continuity of all exhibits.
- Required standards for recovery, handling, labelling, storage, submission to experts
- Presentation at Court
- Disposal of exhibits
What does the O/C Exhibits role culminate in?
The provision of an accurately recorded exhibit package and the availability of all exhibits as required throughout the Court process.
The O/C Exhibits will conduct and appreciation and interrogation into each exhibit to establish what?
- Evidential value of each exhibit
- Investigative opportunities presented by each exhibit
- Further enquiries that are needed
What info does the O/C Exhibits need to update the O/C Investigation at briefings?
- What exhibits have been found, and their movements
- The results of any exhibit examinations
- Where any further enquiries are required
O/C Exhibits should only accept an exhibit if…?
- The exhibit label contains the exhibit # and name of the operation
- Property is correctly packaged and sealed, and exhibit label is visible and secured
- Prompt action necessary to preserve the exhibit is taken
What topics should be covered off at a Forensic Strategy meeting?
- What examinations ESR and others could conduct on exhibits
- Priority each examination should receive
- Whether any further work is needed to assist in reconstruction
- A plan for any work to be completed that is required to assist the reconstruction
- An agreed reconstruction of events relevant to the crime under investigation
What should happen at the end of the Forensic Strategy meeting?
O/C Exhibits must update the Exhibits Register with the results of the exhibit examinations and bring such info to the attention of the OC Investigation.
What needs to happen to prepare for trial?
O/C Investigation must decide which exhibits are considered relevant, determine the significant of any forensic examinations and establish the most appropriate manner in which examinations and their results are to be presented at Court.
What is the chain of custody?
includes every individual who has had custody of an exhibit, from the time it was first discovered until it is produced in Court. Is used to demonstrate the integrity, and therefore the admissibility, of exhibits.
What must each person in the chain of custody be able to demonstrate?
- When they received custody of the exhibit and from whom
- Where and how the exhibit was securely stored
- When, why and how the exhibit was moved from one place to another
- How the exhibit has been treated, safeguarded and preserved
- When and why they transferred custody of an exhibit to another person and to whom
What attributes should the exhibit numbering system have?
- Be consistent
- Allow delegation of exhibit numbers to staff who will utilise them
- Cope with multiple scenes
- Be compatible with technology
- Encompass all exhibits
What information should be recorded for each exhibit?
- Exhibit number
- Detailed description of exhibit
- Name of the operation
- Location of the scene
- Exact location where the exhibit was found
- Name of the finder
- Date and time seized
- Relevant signatures
What is an exhibit register?
an electronic document which forms the master record of every exhibit obtained during an investigation.
